Switch



Patented May 28, 1929.

UNITED. STATES l,?it,53i PATENT GFFICE.

vocal-inns; oi jN w YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL CARBON COMPANY. 1 c., ADOBPORATION or NEW YORK.

SWITCH;

f. Application-filed February 12, 1925. Serial No. 8,803.

-This-,iinvention relates..-to circuit closing means-'ior. battery hand'lamps and the like. Some ofithe features,"at least, are useful in switches for other purposes, :however..

The principalobject of the invention is to provide .a-battery hand-lamp switch which is simplein constructionand operationand reliable in use, and which can be manufactured tlo rc lt-.is=a further-object to provide a switch which :can be mounted upon either a fiat or round'casing, ;or even at the edge or cornerof a; casing and. which will not, .be confined against, operation by 'the space restriction within the casing adj acent; such round sur f ace, edge or corner. Sucha'switch may be advantageously adopted as {standard where (litferent types o t battery hand lamps are manufactured..-. In the drawings, ig. 1

,is an elevation of a att mh mp e bo yi gr t pr v me ts. thep e le t i r n i urm ig. 2,.is=an elevation of the switch mechai ma seen :t se el d v e l easing;

3; is a horiz ontalfsection showing the switch lever in opemposition, e closed posism b g in q d. n' ott l e a L-Fig... 4 YQ i lE s t on s w ng V h switch lever and themeanswhereby it is supported and uidedt-i lflhe battery. andHlainpmay comprise a body casing, 1, a. hea dQZ the usual reflector and lens an electric. lamp. 3, and 'a battery comprising cells ,4 electrically connected inseries. .One of the lamp terminals is always electrically connected to the battery and the other is electrically connected through the casing l or other suitable conducting means :to a tumbler switch designated generallyby the numeral 5 and illustrated in de tail inFigs-Q, 3 and i. The switch 5 consists essentially of two elements, a lever 9 which is a conducting element 'swingable into and out of'e'ngagemeht with a contact 6 that is connected with battery terminal 7 ,to make and break the circuit to the lamp 3, and a member 10 which serves as a bearing and guide for the lever 9 and also forms a spring to control the movements of the lever.

The lever 9 comprises a handle 11 that extends through a small opening 12 in a wall of the casing 1, a ball or enlargement l3 seated in said opening at the innerside of said wall, and an inwardly, projecting end 14: movable into and out of contact with the battery ter minal 7. .The construction of the bearing portion as .a ball is economical because the ball can bemadeat one operationwith the forming of-the handle 11 and the inwardly projecting lever end 14. v

The member 10,. which is stamped and formed from a piece of conducting sheet metal, comprises abase 15 that is secured to the casing l by rivets 16 and that has an opening (not shown) through which the ball 13 can be passed. Upturned sides 17 on the base 15 are curved inward and cooperate with the interior of the casing l to form a socket bearing for the ball 13. The edges 18 of the curved'side members 17 are straight and parallel and just far enough apart to permit easy passage of the'inwardly projecting end portion 14 of the lever 9. The edges 18 guide the lever-9, confining it to movement in a single plane at right angles to the base 15 and the side of the casing l on which the base is 'mounted- The member 10 also .includes means -forpressing the end 14 of the lever 9 into firm-contact with the battery terminal 7 and-for holding; it stationary at its opposite limit of movement when idle. An upstanding end wall 19 on the;base 15 has long spring fingers 20 formed to converge gradually into contact or nearlyinto contact with each other and then todiv erge gradually at their ends, whereby a narrow neck is formed through which thelever end must pass in moving between circuit closing and open positions. The fingers 20 squeeze the end H of the lever urging it with a snap action to either limit of its movement toward which it is moved by the handle 11 from the central position. In the circuit closing position of the lever 9 the lingers 20 press the lever against the battery terminal 7 firmly enough to make a good conductive contact therewith. T he lever end 14 is squeezed by the fingers 20 which may transmit the current from the lever end to the cas ing. The force exerted by the fingers upon the lever also presses the ball 13 into firm contact with the casing 1 so that good conduction may be obtained through this means also.

WVhen the switch lever 9 is moved away from the circuit closing position to the op posite side of the central position, the fingers 20 urge it on in this direction until the lever handle 11 engages the edge of the opening 12 in the casing wall. The fingers 20 hold the lever stationary in this position, thus preventing the lever from making accidental Contact with the batter terminal 7 and also kccping'it from shalt-ing and rattling about. The lever pivot is so near the casing 1- that only a small opening in the casing is required to permit the lever to operate. This opening 12 is completely closed at all times by the ball so that it is hardly noticeable and can never admit harmful substances to the interior of the casing.

In assembling the above described parts the lever end 14 and the ball 13 may first be passed through the hole in the base 15,- and the lever handle 11 inserted through the hole 12' in the easing 1, after which the rivets 16 1 may be applied to secure the member-- and the lever 9 operatively to the casing.

The tubular switch 5, consisting as itv does of only two simple,- inexpensive, and easily assembled pieces, may be manufactured atlow cost, both as tolabor and material. The switch is reliable-in use because there is little liability 0t disarrangement or breakage.

The switch mechanism described is of universal application. It can be applied with equal facility on a flat or rounded surface of a; casing'or at the edge or corner thereof, by altering the shapeof the base slightly to meet the particular requirements. Since' the switch lever is pivoted-almost at the casing and swings transversely thereof it would not be handicapped in its operation by the spacerestriction imposed within a casing corner.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the. invention and parts of the improvements may be used without others;

I- claim: 1

1. In a switch, the combination ota conductive supports; a conductive switch lever having a handle at one side of said support and both an enlarged portion-and a contactmaking portion at the other side of saidsupport; means providing a bearing for said enlarged portion, and a conductor engageableby said contact-making portion, whereby said lever serves to electrically connect said conductor and said support.

2. In a switch, the combination with a support; of a switch lever having a handle, an enlargement, and a contact-making portion; and a unitary member comprising a bearing for said enlargement, guiding means for said lever, and means for throwing said lever into open or closed position;

3 A switch as defined in claim 2, in which said unitary member is formed from sheet metal and said' means for throwing the lever comprises resilient sheet metal finger means integral with said member.

4. In a battery operated device, the combination of a casing having an opening in a wall thereof; a switch lever extending through said opening comprising a handle outside said casing, and both an enlargement and a contact-making portion inside said casing; a conductor inside said casing; and a unitary sheet metal member secured; inside of said casing and comprising a bearing for said enlargement, guiding means for said lever, and resilient means. for throwing the contact-making portion of said lever againstand away from said conductor.

5. In a battery hand lamp, the combination with a casing having an opening therein, of a two part switch, the first part being a switch lever extending through said opening and swingable'to openandclose the electric circuit of the lamp; and the-secondpart comprising abase secured to the casing, side members formed on the base toform asocket bearingand guides forthe-l'ever, and sprin means extending across the base constructed and arranged topress the lever to-ei-ther limitof its movement.

6. In a battery hand lamp, the combination with acasing, of a switch lever pivoted toswing between circuit making and openposi-tions, and. an integral guide and det'entmemb'er for controlling the lever comprising abase secured to the casing, guides on said base, and spring means. extending from said member and engaging the lever soguided, the sprin=g.means being arranged toyieldwhen the-leveris moved from closed or open position, and then to snap it tothe-position toward which it is moved.

7. In a battery handlam-p, the combina tion with a casing, of a contact mal'ri'ng'mem ber' movable between open and closed positions and combined guide and'detent meanswithin the casing for controiiing said member comprising guides'beyond which a portion of the member projects, and spring fingers above the guides at opposi'te-sidesiof the path defined by them, arrangedtoforma narrow neck through which the projecting portion of the contact making member passes in moving between open-and closed positions, and to diverge gradually in both directions from said neck, so: that-the contact making member when moved beyond the neck in either direction is urged to the limit of its movement in that direction by the fingers and is detained there by" them.

8-. In a switch, in combination, a one-piece lever comprising a handle, a bearing portionand a conductive contact making end all symmetrically formed with reference to the longitudinal axis of the lever so that the lever can be completely formed at one turning operation, and means to support and guide the conductive end of said lever between circuit closing and open positions.

9. In an electric switch, the combination with contacting means, of supporting means therefor comprising a base of sheet metal having a bearing surface adapted to be en-- gaged by said contacting means and having resilient integral fingers substantially pa-rab lel to said base and arranged onopposite sides of the path of movement of saidcontacting means to cooperate with the latter during such movement.

10. In an electric switch, the combination with an oscillating lever, of supporting means therefor comprising a base having a bearing and guide means for said lever, said base also having integral means operative to snap said lever into its open and closed positions.

11. In an electric switch, the combination with an oscillating lever having a handle at one end, contacting means adjacent its other end and an enlargement between said ends; of supporting means for said lever comprising a base having means providing a bearing for said enlargement, said means comprising upwardly and inwardly extending tongues, the

opposed edges of said tongues forming a passage through which said lever projects and whereby the latter is guided when oscillated.

12. In an electric switch, the combination with an oscillating switch lever having a handle at one end, contacting means adjacent its other end, and an enlargement between said ends; of supporting means for said lever comprising a base having a socket forming a bearing for said enlargement, a passage whereby said lever is guided, and integral finger means cooperating with said lever to snap it into its open and closed circuit positions.

In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature.

LEE J. VOORHEES. 

